By Emmanuel Obisue
Chaos erupted in Enugu-Ezike, Igbo Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, on Thursday, as a group of armed gunmen suspected to be herdsmen kidnapped over 35 individuals, including three Nigerian soldiers.
The abduction took place along the busy Enugu-Nsukka Road when three commercial buses were ambushed.
Initially, four Nigerian Army personnel were seized during the attack, but one soldier, PTE Usendu Emediong, managed to escape and later shared details of the harrowing ordeal. Along with the soldiers, more than 30 other passengers were abducted and marched into the surrounding bush by a gang of 17 kidnappers.
Eyewitnesses described how the kidnappers held their victims for nearly an hour, making threats and forcing them into the dense forest. “The group was organized and ruthless,” one witness recounted. “They kidnapped at least 35 people, including the soldiers, who were traveling from Akwa Ibom to Kaduna State.”
The captured soldiers were identified as PTE Usoro Ezekiel Paul, PTE Jeremiah Inimbom Thomas, and PTE Victor Itiat Godwin. Meanwhile, local hunters who stumbled upon the kidnappers in the bush overheard the desperate cries of a victim who was shot dead after complaining of exhaustion. Military personnel later found the body and retrieved it.
As the search for the abductees continues, villagers remain on edge, especially with reports of military helicopters flying overhead. Although the authorities are investigating the situation, no formal rescue operation has yet been confirmed.
A military report later confirmed the soldiers’ abduction, marking a grim escalation in the ongoing security concerns along the Enugu-Nsukka corridor.
